Unless she was truly General Sheng’s daughter, there was no way she could be with him.
"Hi, what am I thinking about so strangely."
She lightly patted her forehead, casting those messy thoughts out of her mind. How things would be with Mo Lingxi in the future was a matter for later. For now, it was impossible for her to truly be with him.
But this man was quite good to her. She just didn't know how long this goodness would last.
"Is Mother worried that Father will treat you badly again?" Xiao Feng, resting on Tao Lengshuang's lap, gazed up at her with his big eyes blinking.
Tao Lengshuang pinched his little cheek, sighing that a child could see things so clearly. Sometimes, innocent children could see certain things more clearly.
"Yes, men are very fickle. If your father treats Mother badly again, then Mother will get hurt."
Xiao Feng tilted his head and hummed. He whispered slyly, "Mother, why don't you test Father? If Father doesn't pass the test, then Mother can divorce him, and Xiao Feng will follow Mother."
Looking at his childish demeanor, Tao Lengshuang chuckled but also adopted his suggestion. "What our Xiao Feng said is right, we do need to test your father."
She had to think about how to test Mo Lingxi. But the prerequisite for testing was that she was General Sheng's daughter.
If she were not General Sheng's daughter, there would be no need for testing.
...
That night, two or three court officials with real power and favored by the emperor were killed. Among them was a military general who held military power.
More importantly, the tiger tally in the general's hand was missing, and at the same time, General Sheng and his wife were in a coma.
Due to the prior arrangements made by General Sheng and his wife, the entire Sheng family was handed over to the Emperor's management. Even Sheng Li could not claim a single thing.
This greatly stimulated Sheng Li. She either smashed various items or tried to find the comatose General Sheng and his wife, but she was blocked by the steward and servants many times, and none of her attempts were successful.
This made Sheng Li's tantrums more intense and her resentment towards General Sheng and his wife grew, even giving rise to the malicious thought of truly killing the couple.
Since this thought arose, Sheng Li discussed the matter with those who helped her, urging them to help her kill General Sheng and his wife: "You will be rewarded handsomely after the deed is done."
The young man heard this and a sinister smile curved his lips. "Are you sure you really want to kill General Sheng and his wife? After all, they are your parents."
Sheng Li was filled with hatred and anger. "If they weren't my parents, I would have killed them long ago. Everything in the house belongs to me, and I am their reliance. They dared to give my things to the Emperor, and they dared to treat me like that. If I don't kill them, am I supposed to wait for them to kill me?"
The young man heard this and laughed heartily. "Good! Since you've said so, I will definitely help you deal with General Sheng and his wife. Do you want to see them one last time?"
"By then, you will have obtained the entire Sheng family, and they will not be able to take anything from you. I suggest you see them one last time."
Only then could the master's objective be achieved.
Sheng Li's eyes were full of malice, and she smiled sinisterly. "You are right, I must see this couple one last time, to let them know the consequences of treating me like this."
The young man hummed, thinking to himself that she was indeed as selfish, greedy, and malicious as the master had trained her to be since childhood, but this was exactly the result the master wanted.
Unbeknownst to them, their every move was being watched by secret guards, and even after the young man left, secret guards followed him.
Thus, when the incident occurred, Tao Lengshuang, under Mo Lingxi's protection, quietly arrived at the Sheng family.
On the way, Tao Lengshuang thanked Mo Lingxi. "Thank you for the gifts. Although I don't need so much, your intentions are good, and the items you chose are also nice."
Mo Lingxi's lips curved slightly, and his eyes softened. "I'm glad you like them. You commented on the jade hairpin I sent last time, so I remembered this time."
Tao Lengshuang gave him a look of appreciation, suppressing the ripple in her heart. "What do you want as a return gift?"
Mo Lingxi sat up straighter, his deep black eyes rippling with emotion, and a joyful aura emanated from him. "You can give me anything, I'm not picky."
Tao Lengshuang's eyes brightened slightly, and she teased, "If I give you a beauty, will you take her?"
"No!" Mo Lingxi's face stiffened, showing displeasure. "Don't make such jokes in the future."
Tao Lengshuang pouted and tilted her head slightly. "Then can you guarantee that you won't have other women in the future?"
She raised her hand to stop Mo Lingxi and added, "Don't be so sure. You must understand your status. Given the current situation, you could have wives and concubines at any time."
Her calmness gradually eased Mo Lingxi's emotions. "You are right, I shouldn't make a promise so quickly. I should make a promise after all matters are resolved."
Tao Lengshuang let out a breath, as if to exhale the slight discomfort and annoyance in her heart. "For the return gift, I'll give you some pills to condition your body. I can't offer anything else."
Mo Lingxi nodded heavily, feeling a bit down. If Tao Lengshuang hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten such an important point.
His status destined him to be unable to live peacefully, unless the current ruler was replaced by someone who trusted him, or he gave up his status.
But given the current situation, how could he abandon the dynasty and its people?
Both of them fell silent, and a stifling,闷闷 atmosphere spread in the carriage.
Upon arriving at the Sheng family, Tao Lengshuang secretly took two deep breaths and followed Mo Lingxi towards the courtyard where General Sheng and his wife resided.
As soon as they reached the courtyard of General Sheng and his wife, they heard a servant shouting.
"Who told you to deliver medicine?"
Tao Lengshuang turned her head to look and saw a delicate-looking maid holding a bowl of medicine, standing at the courtyard entrance, looking somewhat timid.
"The kitchen asked this servant to deliver the medicine. This servant doesn't know what's going on."
The servant found the maid unfamiliar, not the one who usually delivered medicine, and this was not the time for medicine envoys. "Go back. This medicine cannot be delivered inside."
"Please, have mercy. If this servant cannot deliver the medicine, the steward will beat me to death." The maid was almost crying in distress.
The servant remained unmoved and waved her away impatiently. "Hurry up and leave, or I'll start hitting people."
Hearing this, Tao Lengshuang tugged at Mo Lingxi's sleeve and gave him a meaningful look.
Mo Lingxi, understanding, nodded and whispered something to the steward standing at the door of the house.
Although the steward was surprised, he did not ask further questions. He led Mo Lingxi and Tao Lengshuang into the house and then allowed the maid into the courtyard, but not into the house.
"You say, the kitchen steward asked you to deliver the medicine?" he asked gently.
The maid sobbed and said, "Yes. This servant is a kitchen helper. I don't know why the kitchen steward asked me to deliver this bowl of medicine just now, saying it was for the Master to drink."